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Picking Up and Moving (the House)
Patricia VandeMeulebroecke shows her father the foundation being raised for her Arlington house, an alternative to building an addition.
(By Ann Cameron Siegal For The Washington Post)
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· Are you moving a 52-ton bungalow or an 800-ton stone house? Are porches or chimneys involved?
· Are you moving the house down the street or scooting it over on the same lot? Or are you just raising the house to gain more headroom in the basement?
· What kind of foundation do you have? Is there a crawl space? How much maneuvering room is there around the house?
Next, look at the route the house will be moved along, whether you own the proposed lot or are thinking of purchasing one. "We can move anything," said Jerry Matyiko of Expert House Movers of Maryland, the company that moved the Cape Hatteras lighthouse in North Carolina. "But there's not a thing we can do if it won't fit."
"Realistically," Ayers said, "you can take a house as far as the road will let you."
That's not far in the congested Eastern corridor because there are so many obstacles. Ninety percent of local moves are within two miles. However, even ranch houses won't always fit under overpasses. "It really comes down to measurements," Ayers said.
Some other points to consider:
· If the house is moving beyond the current property line, the straightest route might not work. Remember, you have to add at least four feet in height for the wheels and beams under the house.
